A Promise Fufilled
by dracosluvr4eva20
Summary: ZukoxOC...10 years ago, Zuko made a promise to a childhood crush, but she disappeared & he forgot about her. Now, when he sees her again, will he keep his promise? Takes place after Sozin's Comet. Rated M for language and sexual content! R&R, please!
1. Reunited

A Promise Fulfilled

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This is a new story from me, and also my first Avatar story, so go easy on me. I'm also working on a Blaise x OC one-shot, so I'll be jumping from story to story. This is also a story with another created character of mine. So, here it goes!

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Zuko's P.O.V.

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Hey, Zuko here. Well, it's been about a month since Aang defeated my father and he and Azula were put into a prison to hold them. I've accepted the title of Fire Lord, but I didn't really want to rule just yet. I felt that I needed to travel some more with the "Aang Gang" and broaden my horizons; besides, I felt that it would be best for me if I visited all of the villages that I possibly could to see the horrors that my father made the Fire nation inflict on others, so I knew what I needed to change. In the meantime, in my absence, Uncle has been the temporary Fire Lord, filling in for me until I returned.

We're riding on Appa right now, and as I look around at the others, they all seem to be paired up; I mean, there's Aang and Katara, then Sokka and Suki, and Haru and Toph. I feel bad for officially breaking up with Mai, but I realized that I didn't love her like I thought I did. She took it pretty well, which surprised me, considering the way she acted when she confronted me in the Boiling Rock prison cell.

I groaned and said, "Hey Aang, when are we gonna get there?" and Toph said loudly, "Oh, stop being so impatient, Hothead. We'll get there when we get there." I scowled lightly at the young Earthbender, then turned and rested my head back on my folded arms. Soon enough, I drifted off to sleep, but before I knew it, Sokka was yelling loudly, "Look! There it is!" which caused me to jerk awake and look at where he was pointing. Below us, a few yards away, was a small Earth kingdom village; Aang guided Appa down, and I continued to stare at the village as Momo leapt onto my shoulders and wrapped his tail around my neck. The small lemur appeared to have become fond of me.

We touched down on the shore of the village and climbed off of Appa, then began walking towards the village. As we walked in, a tall man walked up to us and said, "Welcome strangers! My name is Kohan, and if I may ask, who are you?" Before anyone could respond, though, he noticed the arrows on Aang's body and gasped, before pointing and saying, "You're the Avatar!" Aang grinned and said, "Yeah, that's me. These are my friends, Katara, Suki, Toph, Haru, Sokka and Zuko."

When he got to me, Kohan's eyes got wide and he stuttered, "Oh m-my! F-Fire Lord Zuko!" and he immediately dropped to his knees and bowed, as did the other villagers. I looked around, feeling extremely embarrassed, and I said, "Please, don't. You can get up." He got up, but said, "Is there anything we can do for you and your friends, my Lord?" I raised my hands and shook my head, saying, "Just Zuko is fine. We would like to know if there's anywhere we can stay for the next couple of days. We just came to observe your village."

Kohan bowed slightly and said, "Of course, Zuko. Please, everyone, come with me." He started walking and we followed him, taking in everything and everyone around us.

As we continued walking, Katara suddenly stopped, making everyone else stop. Aang looked at her and said, "What's the matter, Katara?" and she said, pointing to a spot to our left, "Look, everyone!"

We all followed her gaze and were amazed at what we saw. In a small clearing, a girl about my age was fighting a boy who was a lot taller than her and had to be at least 5 years older than her; it kind of reminded us all of Toph fighting the Boulder (Aang, Katara and Sokka had told me, Suki and Haru the story). As she turned to dodge a rock, I got a good look at her and my jaw dropped. She was breathtakingly beautiful; she had long, jet black hair with a single streak of brown going through it, amazing bone structure, and the most extraordinary green eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't quite place it, but she seemed very familiar to me.

She was very good; she was a skilled Earthbender, but not quite a master like Toph. She ducked, dodged and blocked every punch and rock the boy threw at her. Then, as she sent a nicely-sized boulder hurtling towards the boy, he dodged it and said, "Ha! Is that the best you've got? I knew a frail little nothing like you would be no match for me. I shouldn't have even bothered challenging you; you're pathetic. You're just a weak, helpless little girl."

What happened next shocked everyone, especially me. The girl obviously grew very upset, and she screwed her face up in anger and shouted, "SHUT UP, JIN. I am so sick of hearing you bring me down just so can get your macho kicks! You need to be taught a lesson in fairness and bullying, so GET READY, JACKASS!!"

She then threw her arms down to her sides and fisted her hands, breathed in deep, then she slammed her fists together, making them erupt in fire! My jaw really hit the ground this time; she was a Firebender, too!

She then punched the air in front of her, sending flames shooting out at the boy called Jin, who threw himself out of the way before poking his head up and staring at the girl in horror and bewilderment.

The girl continued to Firebend against Jin, and we continued to watch. Every move she did reminded me of the way I did Firebending, which made her seem all the more familiar to me. Finally, she came at Jin with her fist, stopping it about an inch from his face, making him cower on the ground and say pathetically, "Okay, okay! You win. I give up!" She smirked and said, "That's what I thought; not so tough now, huh, Jin?"

As she turned to wipe her face off, we turned back to Kohan and Aang said, "Hey, Kohan, who is that? Her Bending is amazing!" Before Kohan could answer, though, a voice said from behind us, "If you want to know who I am, why don't you ask your Fire Lord?"

We all turned back around and saw the girl leaning against the wall of a house, half hidden in the shadows. I scowled slightly, saying, "I'm sorry, but, should I know who you are?" and she pushed herself off the wall and started to walk towards us, saying, as the sunlight hit her, "Oh, come on, your Highness. You really don't remember me?"

When she was standing close enough to our group, I studied her face for a couple of seconds, now noticing that her eyes had flecks of gold in them. Then, suddenly, it hit me, and, for the third time, my jaw dropped.

- - - - -_**Flashback: 10 years**_- - - - -

_A young boy, about 7 years old, was standing with his mother, a very pretty woman in red robes of traditional Fire nation attire, when he heard a small voice call out, "Zuko. Zuko!!" Prince Zuko of the Fire nation turned and was met with the sight of a girl about the same age as him. _

_She had an excited look on her face, as she always did whenever she knew she was going to visit the very cute Fire nation prince, who also happened to be her best friend. She was also wearing the red robes of the Fire nation, and her shoulder-length black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, with her prominent streak of brown hair hanging down in her face. Her green eyes were wide with joy as she raced up to Zuko, and he smiled and said, "Hana! Hi" making her giggle shyly and say, "Hi, Zuko. Guess what? Father and Fire Lord Ozai both agreed that we could learn Firebending together! Isn't that great?" _

_Little Hana then seemed to notice Zuko's mother, and she bowed slightly, saying, "Oops. Hello, Lady Ursa" and Ursa chuckled and said, "Hana, you seem to have more and more energy every time I see you." Zuko then said, "That's great, Han! Come on, we can start practicing now!" and he grabbed Hana's hand, but before they could run off, another voice said, "Oh, look! Little Zu Zu's got a girlfriend."_

_Zuko blushed and let go of Hana before saying angrily, "Shut up, Azula!" 8-year-old Princess Azula stepped out of the shadows of the palace, saying, "Oh, don't be so touchy, Zu Zu. I was only teasing you. Besides, Father would never allow you to marry someone like her_, _anyway; it doesn't matter that her father is Father's most trusted advisor." _

_Azula turned towards Hana, who was looking at her tearfully, and she frowned and spat out, "How dare you look at me, you little peasant?" Ursa gasped and said, "Azula!!" and Zuko stood in front of Hana and said, "Don't call her that, Azula! Hana's not a peasant; she's my best friend! And you know what else? I like Hana a lot, and when we're both old enough, I just might marry her, and you won't stop us!"_

_Hana gasped and her eyes grew wide when she heard what he said, and she said quietly, "Zu…Zuko…?" and Ursa smiled at her son, saying softly, "Zuko………". Azula just threw her head back and laughed cruelly before saying, "Just wait, Zuko. When Father finds out what Advisor Hoshi is hiding from him, you'll never see your little 'fiancée' again."_

_As Azula left, Ursa, looking horrified, said, "How...How does she know?" but she shrugged it off and left the kids to themselves, though she had the terrible feeling that something awful was going to happen because of her spiteful daughter._

_Zuko turned to Hana and said, "I'm sorry. Azula's such a pain! I can't stand her sometimes" and he locked eyes with her, blushing as she stared at him intensely. Then, she said, blushing, "Did you mean what you said, Zuko?" and he said, "Uh…um, what part?" Hana said shyly, "The part about you liking me a lot and us getting married?" Zuko scratched the back of his head nervously, saying, "Well, yeah, I guess. I do like you Hana, and someday, I do want to marry you. That is……if you want to marry me?" _

_Then, Zuko almost fell over because Hana threw herself on him and hugged him tightly, making him hug her back after his initial shock. As she pulled back, she whispered in his ear, "I'd be honored to be your wife someday, Prince Zuko" and she planted a small kiss on his cheek, making them both blush furiously. _

_As the day went on and the two friends practiced their Firebending, they got closer and closer. When they finally finished and sat down, Hana knew what was going to happen because of the secret her father was keeping from Fire Lord Ozai, but she was scared; she didn't want to leave Zuko. _

_She finally said, "Zuko, promise me something" and he said, "Anything, Han." She looked down at her folded hands, twisting them nervously, before saying, "If I have to leave, for, you know……forever, promise me that you'll wait for me and find me when we're both of marrying age?" _

_Zuko took her hand and she looked up at him, her green eyes locking onto his golden ones. He then said, "Hana, I don't know where this is coming from…" but she interrupted him and said, "Please, Zuko. Promise me?" He smiled and squeezed her hand affectionately, saying, "I promise, Han." He then pulled her in for a hug and wrapped his best friend and crush in his arms, not knowing that that would be the last time he saw her………or that he would forget about her, eventually._

- - - - -_**End Flashback**_- - - - -

My gaze grew soft and adoring as I looked at my childhood crush, and I said, "Oh my god. Hana, it's really you. What happened to you?"

She said, "That night, 10 years ago, my father woke me up and told me that we had to leave immediately. I knew why, but I didn't want to leave; I didn't want to leave _you,_ Zuko."

I said, "Why did you have to leave? What secret was your father keeping from my father?" Hana said, "Well, Ozai had conquered this village before both of us were born, and he brought prisoners to the Fire nation; one of them was my mother, an Earthbender named Aiko. My father was on one of the Fire navy ships, making sure that everything was running the way it should. When the prisoners were brought on board, he and my mother saw each other and fell in love instantly."

"Since my father was of a noble ranking and my mother was a peasant, they new that their love was forbidden. My father had to sneak and see my mother every chance he could, and finally they arrived in the Fire nation. My mother was put into a prison, but not before it was discovered that she was pregnant. My father was ecstatic when he learned he was going to be a father, but Ozai was suspicious when my father refused to tell everyone about the woman that he had fallen in love with. When I was born, Ozai took one look at me and deduced that Father had fallen in love with an Earth kingdom peasant. He demanded that Father abandon me and Mother, but he refused, so Ozai decided to have my mother killed…………and that Father should be the one to do it."

Katara gasped and said, "Oh, Hana, that's horrible!" Hana grimaced and said, "I know, but Father couldn't do it. Instead, he sent Mother back here, to her home, with Lady Ursa's help; she was the only person who knew. Mother was upset that she had to be away from her family, but Father promised her that one day we would join her. That's what Azula had told Ozai: that Father hadn't killed Mother, and that she was still alive."

Hana turned to me and said, "That's why we had to leave. I was so upset, because I never got to say goodbye to you" and she started to tear. I moved forward and opened my arms, about to hug her, when suddenly I was met with a sharp pain across my cheek. I staggered back, surprised as hell, and held my now reddened cheek, staring at her. Her eyes were narrowed, and she said viciously, "But I wasn't as upset as I am now. You forgot about me, Zuko. You had made me a promise that you would find me, but you didn't. I waited for 10 years, you jackass…………10 YEARS!! I spent all that time thinking, 'Zuko's coming for me. He promised he would', but you never did. How could you forget about me, just like that? I….I LOVED YOU, ZUKO!!"

Hana had started crying out of sheer anger, and before I could explain, she shouted, "It doesn't matter now, though. I HATE YOU!" and she turned and ran. I shouted her name, but she ignored me and kept running, and I turned back to the gang, upset and confused.

She had loved me? I mean, I knew that we both liked each other when we were kids, but……loved? Actually, when I stopped to think about it, I could sum up everything I had felt about her back then in one word: love. I had loved her, too; I was just too young to realize it. With everything that had happened to me over the years, the last thing I thought about was Hana, and, as Mai came into the picture, I guess I had forgotten about her and the promise I had made her. Although, now I understand why I had to break up with Mai; I guess that a part of my subconscious (and my heart) still remembered and loved Hana, and it wouldn't let her go.

I felt disgusted with myself, and I knew that I had to find Hana and tell her that I still loved her. I looked at the guys and said, "Um…..I, uh…" but Aang put his hand on my shoulder and said, "We know, buddy. Go to her and tell her. It's about time you found someone that you love. It's a great feeling" and he glanced at Katara, who blushed lightly.

I smiled at Aang and nodded before heading off into the village to search for the green-eyed spitfire that had stolen my heart when we were kids…….and still had it now.


	2. Starting Over

Chapter 2: Starting Over

**A/N: For this story, since I paired up Toph and Haru, and Haru's like, 14 (I think), I made Toph 13. Just a heads up!**

Hana's P.O.V.

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I ran all the way back to my house, completely blinded by my tears and my overwhelming feelings. I ran through the front door and collided with my father, who said, "Woah! Where's the fire?"

He then got a good look at me and said, "Hana, what's wrong? What happened?" and I sniffed and said, through my tears, "He's here, Father. Here….in the village." Before he could answer, I ran past him into my room.

As I lay on my bed, crying and cursing Zuko, I heard my father say suddenly, "Well, if it isn't the brand new Fire Lord who broke my daughter's heart" and I gasped and jumped up, running to my doorway and listening to their conversation.

Then I heard Zuko say, "Advisor Hoshi. It's good to see you again" and my father said, "I wish I could say the same for you, my Lord." I bit my lip as I heard Zuko say, "Please sir, is Hana here? I have to talk to her; it's important" and my father said sternly, "Why? So you can hurt her again?"

Another voice said, "Hoshi, dear, leave the poor boy alone" and my mother came in from outside, smiling, and she said, "Hello, Zuko." Zuko said, "Hello, Miss Aiko. It's nice to finally meet you; Hana told me about you."

I knew that my father wasn't going to let Zuko off the hook that easily, and, sure enough, he said, "So, Fire Lord Zuko, what do you want with my Hana?"

Zuko then said, "Well, when we were kids, I had made her a promise that I would find her and marry her when we were both of age. Then, as time went on and everything in my life went wrong, I started to forget about her, and the promise. I feel horrible about what I've put her through; I know she probably doesn't want to see me right now, but I just wanted to tell her that I…..I love her."

I gasped and leaned closer, listening intently. Zuko said, "I had always loved her when we were young. I just never fully realized it, and now, I realized that I still do love her. She is everything I could possibly want in a woman; she's feisty, opinionated, caring and beautiful. She accepts me for who I am, and not my power or title. She may hate me right now, but I know that she still loves me. I wouldn't want anyone else for my wife. Just tell her that for me, and that when she's ready to talk, I'll be here."

I took a deep breath, then stepped out of my room and walked up, saying, "Why don't you just tell her yourself?" He turned and his face broke out into a soft smile before he said softly, "Hey" and I repeated, "Hey."

Zuko then said, "Can we go outside and talk?" and I nodded, taking his hand and leading him out to the back of our house and we sat down on the bank of the little river that flowed there.

We sat there in an awkward silence, just watching the sun. Then, Zuko cleared his throat and said, "Um…..Listen Hana, I never meant to hurt you. I am so sorry about everything. As you can see, I've had a pretty rough childhood. In fact, the only time I was really happy was when I with my mother…..or you." I bit my lip and continued to sit there and listen to him, and he moved a bit closer to me, saying, "Hana, please, look at me."

I turned my head and my breath caught in my throat as I looked at him; he had never seemed more gorgeous to me than he did right at that moment, with the sun reflecting in his golden eyes, and the emotion they held in them.

He took my hands and said softly, "I wanted to say this just to you….in private. Hana, I love you" and just hearing him say it to me, intimately like this, made me forgive him and fall in love with him all over again.

He then said, "I'd like to start over……you know, a clean slate. I just want us to be together….." but I didn't even let him finish before I threw my arms around him and kissed him. He let out a small noise of surprise, but then he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he kissed me back.

When we pulled away, we touched foreheads, and I said, "I love you, too, Fire Lord Zuko" and he grinned and said, "Just call me Zuko. You can even call me Zu Zu if you want" and I raised an eyebrow, saying, "Didn't Azula call you that, though?" He shrugged and said, "Well, with her, it was an annoying nickname, but with you, it'll be a term of affection" and I smiled and said, "Okay, Zu Zu."

We then walked back inside, hand in hand, and my father raised an eyebrow and said, "Zuko, do I have your word that you won't hurt my daughter again?" and Zuko bowed, putting his left fist against the bottom of his open palm in the traditional show of respect, saying, "You have my word, sir." My father eyed Zuko for a couple of seconds, then he gave him a small smile and nodded his head slightly, making me jump in happiness and hug Zuko.

Then, Zuko said, "Hey, I want to introduce you to my friends. Come on" and he took my hand and led me outside. We walked to the house where he and the gang were staying and when we walked in, a small girl looked up and said, "Hey everyone, Hothead's back!" I giggled at the nickname while Zuko growled under his breath in annoyance.

The gang came into the sitting room and Zuko wrapped his arms around my waist and said, "Guys, this is Hana, my girlfriend. Hana these are the guys. This is Toph" and the small girl from before came up and said, "Hey. Nice to meet you. You're a great Earthbender" and I said, "Thank you, Toph. It's nice to meet you, too" and she smiled. She was small for a 13 year old, but Zuko told me that even though she was born blind, she was a master Earthbender; I mean, hell, she invented Metalbending, for crying out loud!

I made a mental note to ask her to teach me Metalbending as Zuko introduced me to the next person, a very pretty girl with wavy, dark brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. He said, "This is Katara" and Katara smiled and said, "It's great to meet you, Hana. You are an amazing Earthbender; we were all in awe watching you earlier." I smiled and shook her hand, saying, "Thanks, Katara" and she said, "You know, I'm a pretty good Waterbender; maybe I could teach you some things."

I grinned and said, "Wow! Really? That would be great! I've always wanted to learn Waterbending" and Zuko introduced me to the rest of the gang. Sokka seemed like a bit of a goof, but he was a sweet guy; Suki was from Kyoshi, and she was a warrior (a great one, I'm told). She was also a sweet girl; Haru was very good looking, and Toph seemed to have sensed me feeling this, because she said, "Hey don't get any ideas, missy! Haru's mine!" which made me laugh and say, "Oh, don't worry, Toph. I'm perfectly happy with my handsome Fire Lord."

I couldn't believe I was meeting the Avatar; I mean, I had heard about him a lot, but I never thought I'd get to meet him. I was surprised when I saw that Aang was a kid, but apparently, he's enormously powerful; I wish I had been there to see him take down Ozai, or better yet, I wish I had been there to see Katara bring Azula down a few notches. I had never liked her, and when I heard that she had gone crazy, I felt a bit sorry for her, but overall, I was happy; I am also eternally thankful for Katara saving Zuko's life.

I spent the rest of the day getting some Earthbending pointers from Toph; she was a strict teacher, but it would benefit me in the end, so I wasn't really complaining.

By the time sunset rolled around, everyone was at my house in the backyard watching me and Katara in the river. We were in our makeshift training outfits; for Katara, a top that was made of bindings to cover her chest, a skirt that stopped at just about her knees and leggings made of the same bindings, and for me, a green tube top and matching shorts, and my hair (and hers) was pulled up into a high ponytail.

She was telling me how she learned Waterbending, and about her teaching Aang, also. She showed me the basic Waterbending move: making the water flow left and right, and we passed it around to each other while the others watched or practiced what they wanted.

Zuko's P.O.V.

- - - - -

I was sitting on the grass with Aang; we were watching our respective girlfriends in the water while Haru and Toph practiced their Earthbending and Sokka and Suki trained with each other.

Aang sighed next to me and said, "She's so beautiful" and I said, "Yeah, she is" as we watched the two benders pass the stream of water back and forth between them. I then said, "Aang, how did we get so lucky? I mean, we have two of the most gorgeous girls in the world as our girlfriends" and he nodded and said, "Yeah. We don't even deserve girls as wonderful as them, but, they chose us."

As I sat and watched Hana bend the water in the river with Katara, I knew that we would always be together. I vowed to treat Hana like the princess that she is, and to never, ever hurt her again for as long as I lived. When Hana looked up and locked eyes with me, she gave me a heart-melting smile, and I smiled back, feeling my heart fill with love for the first time in years………..since she and my mother left.

I decided that, no matter what, Hana was coming with me when I went to search for my mother. I wanted her to go everywhere with me, and eventually come back to the Fire nation with me, to be Lady Hana, and so we could be the one thing I missed growing up………………a family.


End file.
